Linda Baker
Weekly roundup
Rukaiyah Adams shows up in Bon Appetit, the Oregon Treasury Department issues its first “sustainability bonds” and the Parks department closes in on an outdoor recreation director.
Acclaimed Union Way development struggles to attract tenants
The downtown arcade has yet to become a bustling market space, five years after opening with much fanfare.
Frank Foti talks truth, Trump and Tillerson
Frank Foti is driving to Sea-Tac International Airport. The chief executive of Portland-based Vigor Industrial has spent the day grappling with work at the shipbuilder’s Seattle-based properties. It’s late. He’s rushed. But he wants to answer a particular question carefully. The question is about the suitability of chief executives for governmental office. “Until recently,” Foti … Read more
Rift management: Eight execs on closing the culture gap
Oregon biz leaders talk culture change, the social and political divisions that find their way into the office or factory and how they attempt to influence the hearts and minds of their employees.
Liz Valentine on leadership: “My approach to change has always been about transparency”
Liz Valentine’s office desk is big and bold, constructed with thick slabs of tightly grained wood that seem capable of withstanding a direct nuclear strike. It is a desk befitting the chief executive of the strategic creative agency Swift. But the same desk description applies to her office neighbor’s and that neighbor’s — and that … Read more
Kristin Quinlan on leadership: “Everything has to do with the spirit”
As Certified Languages International grew in recent years, chief executive Kristin Quinlan shuddered at the thought her company could bear any resemblance to her first introduction to corporate culture. “It was do as I say because we’re going to have meetings for the sake of having meetings because this is what we do, and you’ll … Read more
Mark King on leadership
Mark King can remember an era when corporate leadership looked much different than it does today.
Valerie Johnson on the blending of business and politics
There’s a time for a boss to bring politics into the workplace, says Valerie Johnson, chief executive of D.R. Johnson Lumber Co. in Riddle.